Understanding
sin
reclaiming its rightful place in the life of discipleship
by Richard Benson, C.M.
Ix an
"unjust war" a sin? What about adultery, slander, slavery, prostitution, pornography, abortion?
The first answer than comes
to mind is "yes, of course." At first glance, the answer seems almost
too obvious to be asked, but recovering a sense of sin and an understanding of
the reality of sin might be a valuable project for us members of the Catholic
Church in the 21st century.
In fact the correct answer,
"no" might be a bit surprising. The Church’s constant tradition is
that "actions" cannot be sinful, only people can be sinful. An act
can be "evil" but sin is personal, it demands sufficient knowledge
and free and deliberate choice. To label actions, simply in and of themselves
as sinful is inaccurate and might actually contribute to the trivialization or
even dismissal of the reality and power of sin in our lives and world.
Let’s begin with a case:
Juan and Mary have been
active Catholics throughout their lives, married for 60 years. They approach
the Parish Life Director before the Sunday Eucharist with a bit of trepidation
and guilt. They mention that they did not go to Mass the previous Sunday and
want to know if they are in the state of sin and need to go to confession
before receiving communion. The director takes the time to ask them why they
missed
This simple scenario allows
us to open up the Church’s teaching on sin. Sin is real. Sin is a part of
everyone’s life. However, without an accurate understanding of sin, our
identity as Christians and our growth as disciples of Jesus can be hampered.
The most common misunderstanding often results from the fact that we don’t
recognize that in its moral theology the Church undertakes two very different
kinds of analyses that are complementary but not identical. The moral analysis
of the Church involves both objective analysis and subjective analysis.
1. Objective moral analysis focuses exclusively
on actions. It is essential, for by doing this we both identify and come face
to face with the reality of evil. The determination that some actions are
"intrinsically evil" (instrinsice malum) means that these actions can never be done under any
circumstance or with any intention, no matter how good. These actions run
counter to who we are as the children of God.
Our Catechism defines these kinds of actions thus (#1761) "…there are
certain specific kinds of behavior that are always wrong to choose, because
choosing them involves a disorder of the will, that is, a moral evil." A
contemporary list of such actions can be found in the document from Vatican II,
Gaudium et Spes (#27) and is repeated by Pope John Paul II in his
encyclical Veritatis Splendor (#80). The list
includes acts of genocide, abortion, euthanasia, physical and mental torture,
arbitrary deportation, and degrading conditions of work, along with
others.
While the objective analysis
of actions is essential to a healthy moral theology, the analysis of acts alone
can never be about sin. Sin is about culpability, about real guilt. It is about
being personally responsible for an evil decision. We cannot talk about real
sin, unless we talk about ourselves.
2. Subjective moral analysis
focuses on persons and only here do we encounter true sin. Subjectivity is used
here not to mean "arbitrary" or "relative" but rather that
which only belongs to the human subject, the person. Simply stated, sin is not
"what" I did, but that "I" did it. For sin to be sin,
knowledge and intent must be involved. For this reason, those who have not
reached the age of reason, or who suffer permanently or temporarily from a loss
of reason are not judged as "responsible" for their actions and thus
cannot sin. On the other hand, in Scripture, Jesus makes it clear, that an
"exterior" act is not even necessary for one to be guilty of sinning,
more important and essential in fact, is the "interior" act of
deliberate choice. "What I say to you is:
anyone who looks lustfully at another has already committed adultery…
(Mt. 5:28)"
Every Christian must admit
that "we" are at the heart of sin. Sin is when we choose to love only
ourselves rather than God and neighbor. That is why so many saints have
repeated the adage that "idolatry" is at the heart of all sin, since
in sin we choose to worship ourselves rather than God. In sin, it’s all about
"me."
Is every evil action
automatically a sin? That has never been the teaching of the Church. While it
is essential for the Church to continue to denounce all forms of evil, personal
and social, it is clear that without the proper knowledge and intention, an
individual or even a society might commit an evil act without full culpability.
St. Thomas Aquinas spent considerable time on this issue. He wrote about
"impediments" to personal responsibility that reduced or even removed
the notion of sin from an objectively evil act e.g. acting of out passion, or
without true freedom, or with a mental defect.
Have we individually or as
members of a civil society moved too far from a personal and communal ownership
of sin, from culpability? Are we unwilling to take responsibility for our
complicity in evil? Have we become so clever and sophisticated that we can find
an impediment that makes us "not guilty" almost all the time? Perhaps. Nevertheless, personal and social sin is a reality
in all our lives and only when we recognize it as an "interior"
choice and take responsibility as individuals and as a society, can we search
for and receive the infinite mercy and forgiveness of God offered us through
the Body of Christ and found particularly in the Sacrament of Penance.
Vincentian Father Richard Benson is academic dean and professor
of moral theology at